In laparoscopic surgery special instrumentation is required that can be manipulated from outside the body through small incisions. In particular, blunt instruments are required for pushing back tissue or organs for viewing or out of the way of surgical procedures, and sponges are required for hemostasis and for removing fluids to obtain a better view of critical regions. During surgical procedures organs and tissues need to be grasped for displacement or removal by dissectors. These instruments need to be manipulated from outside the body. Dimensions are critical to give the proper reach and to be inserted through small incisions in the abdomen, for example.
For handling such functions as pushing back tissue or hemostasis of particular small blood vessels, the instruments need to be well balanced and easily and surely held without the necessity for other functions in the operation of the forceps such as required for holding sponges in place by manual clamping of jaws. The instruments must be used and reused under sterile conditions and thus need to be constructed for ready disassembly and sterilization.
Surgical sponge holders and retraction instruments are known generally in the art. Thus N. M. T. Mahruki in U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,347, Jun. 3, 1986 provides an instrument for removing vaginal sponges. This instrumentation is critical to manual operation of clamping members inside the body and is not adapted to the multi-function surgical procedures in laparoscopic surgery where hand manipulated instruments must permit the surgeon and assistant freedom of the hands and brain as much as possible for the surgery without detraction from auxiliary chores. Similarly forceps for insertion of sponges and the like as set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,192,313, N. Ogami, Mar. 11, 1980; and 4,940,454, A. Siragusa, Jul. 10, 1990 disclose instruments requiring critical usage of the hands in a manner inconsistent with the laparoscopic surgery environment. H. Essner in U.S. Pat. No. 3,777,760, Dec. 11, 1973, has disclosed a sponge holder that locks in place a sponge for use in surgical procedures. This does not require manipulation of jaws or sponge holders or retrievers, and is advantageous in that respect. However, it does not assure secure enough grasping of sponges that may vary slightly in size or shape to prevent the danger of loss of sponges when used as blunt manipulation in laparoscopic surgery, for example.
All of the foregoing instruments are special purpose sponge holding instruments. None are suitable for alternative use as dissectors in laparoscopic surgery with simple manual jaw manipulation from outside the body to grasp and displace or remove tissue.
Accordingly it is a primary objective of this invention to provide improved and versatile instrumentation particularly adapted to laparoscopic surgical procedures. Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be found throughout the following description, drawings and claims.